Prosthetic devices have enabled amputees to regain mobility impaired by loss of a limb, to participate again in activities enjoyed before such a loss, and to participate in new activities for the first time. Moreover, with amputees fully engaging in today's active lifestyles, amputees are participating in events such as marathons, basketball, and free-style downhill skiing.
The stump of an amputee's limb is typically placed in a socket having an inter contour that conforms to the shape of the stump. A fitting mounted on the lower end of the socket is then attached to the upper end of an elongated prosthetic pylon. Finally, a prosthetic foot is bolted to the lower end of the pylon. The pylon thus serves as the structural member used to interconnect the limb socket and the prosthetic foot.
It is desirable for the bottom of the prosthetic foot to be substantially horizontal so that a major portion of the foot's bottom surface contacts the ground or floor during walking or running. However, as is sometimes the case, if the pylon is canted to the side in the medial/lateral plane or to the front or back in the anterior/posterior plane, a relatively small portion of the bottom surface of the prosthetic foot will make contact with the ground or floor. This makes walking or running awkward for the amputee because it applies an unbalanced load to the amputee's limb.
There has heretofore not been any satisfactory means for effectively dealing with pylons that are not substantially vertical in their normal standing position. While various angular adjusting mechanisms could be used as part of the pylon or prosthetic foot themselves, a satisfactory means to adjust the angle between an existing pylon and a prosthetic foot that has a pre-existing bolt hole and attachment structure has been needed.